celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. good morning, i'm richard lui in for chris jansing. just 19 days until we go over the so-called fiscal cliff. and it does not appear there's much progress on the deal. >> listen, i was born with the glass halfful. i remain the most optimistic person in this town but we've

got some serious differences. >> we have fascinating insight from the new nbc/"wall street journal" poll asking what you think of the fiscal cliff. most want compromise. 70% say the heres involved should work together. 59% of republicans, far fewer say both to stick to thing guns. 35% of democrats, and 37% of republicans. but this is where the country is split. 48% are optimistic that we will get a deal exactly the same number are not so confident. i'm going to bring in chris wright's congressional correspondent for the national journal and ruth marcus is a columnist for "washington post." ruth, we'll start for you. if you're a remember of congress or the president -- >> way to go. don't do that to me. >> just for a moment, ruth. go with he. >> all right. >> do you say we need to get this done? and compromise is more important

when you look at the screen right now? >> if i'm a member of congress or the president, i say that. am i confident, probably not because your poll is fascinating because the voters are so much more -- so much smarter than the politicians. they're both right about the unlikelihood of compromise. and right about the need for it. but the parties on both sides are also dealing with some pressures from their base voters and the need to not look like they were the ones who were giving in first. and so, that's -- i'm a believer with this speaker about the capacity of washington to pull rabbits out of hats or presents out of stockings, but you can't feel too optimistic right now. >> if you're a member of congress, you're not going to limp to your base i guess is what you're saying there. ruth, thank you for that, your approval rating is good still. >> thank you very much. >> chris, if you look at the president's approval rating, speak of which, it's at 53%.

higher than anytime during the campaign. and more people trust him to handle fiscal cliff negotiations than speaker boehner to handle the pole. poll. is that why people feel he's going to win at least talking about taxes. >> one, the approval rating is very high. two, republicans go either way. whether republicans want to cut a deal and raise taxes just on the rich or whether they won't go with a deal on january 1st, you'll see taxes to rise on everybody. there's a feeling with democrats they're going to win and get what they want either way. this is trufrustrating republic. when i talk to republicans privately, they say this is hugest from trags. the speaker has put $800 billion on the table and said he would go higher than if the president would come along with spending

cuts. >> how high are you hearing? >> it's unclear. i think he's just signaling a willingness which many republicans tell me will also end up being a move on the tax rates. but he can't go there with his caucus, unless he has the spending cuts that he can sell $800 billion in revenue, and we're going to get you $800 billion in spending cuts. democrats don't feel like they have to move. they feel like in the cat bird seat. we told you when we lost in 2010, we had to make a trillion dollars in spending cuts. >> what we're hearing at least from politico today, john boehner says he's more open to revenue, more revenue. that's if the white house, as you were saying, gets specific on cuts. the question here, ruth, what are the chances of what chris is saying, happening? >> that which, that we go over the cliff? or that we find a middle ground on taxes? >> middle ground.

>> there are so many middle grounds to be found. you can find the middle ground on rates. you can find the middle ground on revenue numbers. if you've looked between $800 billion and $1.6 billion. you get to 1.2. you could raise rates on some, partly to the 39.6%. but both sides have been unwilling to kind of take that first step. and that's the standoff we are. and to some explanations as to why the democrats are in a different position, i would add two quickly. one, the election just happened. and the second is, unlike the debt ceiling negotiations, this is a risk they feel like they could take. the president was clear during the debt ceiling negotiations that he couldn't get the country's economic health on it. this one, he's more willing to do it. but let's be serious, whether you go over the cliff for a short time or a longer time, the longer this goes on the less healthy it is.

democrats, as well as republicans, want to enjoy the prospect which they have in front of them of a recovering economy and this is not good for that. therefore, it really does behoove both sides to figure out a good outcome that voters will like also. it's just a question of getting there and getting there with the clock ticking. >> ruth, chris, stand by. i want to bring in congresswoman jackie spirit, democrat from my hometown. good morning to you. >> good morning, richard. >> let's talk about both sides. this is from our poll. 70% of democrats and 59% of republicans want you to compromise to make a deal. are you willing to compromise, despite what ruth was just saying that we could just go over that cliff? >> you bet i'm willing to compromise. we have an absolute responsibility to the american people and, frankly, to the globe. because this is going to be a huge crisis economically for the world if we go over this fiscal cliff. you know, it was ben bernanke

who first coined the term. and he was talking about the economy going over the cliff if we did not act appropriately. so we absolutely have to do the right thing here. now, having said that, to juxtapose medicare and social security, which are programs in which people pay into all their lives, as being the area that we are going to cut, is not where i believe the cut should be should be takes place. >> representative, from that note, according to politico, the article we were talking about earlier, john boehner is able to move on with revenue for the cuts if john boehner says okay to a deal, will you extend the tax hikes for the rich to raise the issues on medicare? >> that's one area that doesn't make any sense. why should we do something that's stupid? raising the retirement age from 65 to 67, actually, only nets $2 billion.

and the other costs associated with it is, maybe it's closer to $5 billion. but the other costs associated with it, in emergency room its terms of having to subsidize medicare in the states takes us to $11 billion in costs so that doesn't make any sense. we can look at other ways of making medicare work smartly. and one of the things we have 0 do it get rid of the fee for service concept. fee for service is so old school. 80% of californians are in a managed care system. >> representative, aside from that, what else would you be willing to put on the table then that republicans are asking for right now? >> well, i think we should look at the entire federal budget and look at ways in which we can cut areas of discretionary spending. i mean, no one's talking about the fence. and yet, that is a plump budget. i mean, we just found out from the air force that they scuttled

one of their programs because it was not going to work. and it was already a billion dollars that we had spent on a computer system. and so there's lots of areas that we can look at. and i'm willing to do that. >> i want to look at another poll number that came up from nbc/"wall street journal," it shows that 56%, if we go over the cliff, will blame both democrats and republicans equally. when you look at those numbers here right now, what would you say to a constituent who calls you and asks why you can't work together right now? when you see some of these realities here from our poll. >> well, you're right, i think in the end, if we don't fix this, that we're all going to be nailed. and i think we come here with the responsibility to find ways to compromise. and there are ways to compromise. within the medicare system, without doing stupid things. and i think raising retirement age is just stupid. >> all right, thank you so much, congresswoman jackie speier of

california today. back to you, chris, we're just talking about it with the representative there. who is the to blame if they don't get the deal done here? the poll also overwhelmingly showing that people don't have a great feeling about the coming year. the numbers reading 69% think that 2013, going to be a period of division. you know, that really doesn't bode well, certainly, right here, chris? are they right? >> well, i think voters do understand that both sides will be to blame. and you're starting to hear that a little bit more from democrats. you know, i tox to max baucus, the senate finance chairman yesterday, he said i think people will blame all of us if we don't get it done. what was interesting about what the congresswoman just said, she called the kinds of reforms that have been out there on the table to entitlement programs medicare, medicaid, she said they're stupid, they shouldn't be done. that's a very different place than republicans are. while the congresswoman talked

about discretionary spending it's important to realize the entitlement spending are what are driving the budget and what is what folks are trying to get under control. >> at the microphones, we are hearing the very similar language from last week, this week, if you're watching, you got to be wondering are they really making any progress. ruth to you on this one. ben bernanke was brought up in the conversation. he was also pretty pessimistic yesterday as well. listen to what he said. >> it's already affecting business decisions and hiring by creates uncertainty or creating pes simple. pessimism. clearly, this is a major risk fact. >> the fed chair making his final warning to washington. give us your best odds here. >> the odds are low. and i have to say when i hear people like the congresswoman talking first about the need for compromise. and then absolutely ruling out as stupid something that president obama himself had put on the table, in his talks with

the speaker, it really does make me despair and want to tear my hair out. the actual number for the savings from raising the medicare entitlement age over ten years, phasing it in slowly, the congressional budget office says is something like $115 billion over ten years. and that's phased in over time. the second ten years would be way more than that. it's a complicated thing. you need to look at it in a way that shields people who don't make as much money. but people like me, we're going to be working, i hope, till way past 65, don't need to rely on medicare. and the intransients, i have to say on both sides here, on tax rates on republicans, on entitlements from democrats is really just enough to make you want to -- >> tear your hair out? >> -- not have a good holiday season. >> you're going to pull your hair out twice today, ruth. >> exactly. i have enough left.

>> ruth marcus, chris frates as well. secretary of state hillary clinton will testify about the report on the deadly attack on the benefghazi consulate. a report by a review is expected to be sharply critical about state department decisions prior to that attack. meanwhile, it's what a lot of people want to know. will she run for president? the secretary let barbara walters in on her possible plans to run for president in 2016. take a listen. >> i really don't believe that that's something i will do again. >> you know, your husband wants you to in 2016. what do you say to him? >> he wants me to do what i want to do. he has made that very clear. and some of what i want to do is just kick back. y are just numbes in a budget. well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future...

of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us.

♪ president obama is unleashing a new tactic to pressure congress into a budget deal. he's going local. the president are hosted a call wednesday with the bipartisan group of mayors and community leaders from of course the country. only three mayors were part of the question and answer session. joining me is one of those mayor, mayor r.t. rybak of minneapolis. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> what did you ask? >> i asked the president, what do you really want? what he really wants for us to say at christmastime we should have people come together, and they can in washington. and the key piece here is the president would ask the american people for the past year, he said we can solve this problem, but we have to make a choice. we either have to put the burden on the middle class who are

already burdened or ask those on the top end to give a little more. there was no question in the last election, mitt romney said himself, the choice we have, the american people spoke. they said solve this problem, and they said solve it in part by starting with the idea that those at the very top have to give more. no question was more clear in that election, and the people have spoken. let's do that. let's take a president who has four years of experience talking about the fact that he's willing to compromise if we can get it done and let's get it done. >> nbc news "wall street journal" poll said, yes, they both need to compromise here. both sides here. what was the president's mood about this issue, that they were going to come to a deal in time for before the fiscal cliff hits and was he hopeful or not? what was your sense? >> well, the president i think is resolved. he knows what he needs to do because he's been talking to the american public. he knew that the two people in my office were single moms.

and a man who was self-employed and caring for his ailing mom. and both of them are not in the mood to get a $2,000 tax increase because the republicans won't compromise. >> but on that note there, those two -- again, residents, from minute minnesota, what was their reaction to what they heard from the president? the conversation that was had? >> they solely agree, that the president is absolutely on the right track. and i asked them to hold tough because they don't want their taxes increased any more. and they don't have to be. because those at the very top, should be asked to give a little more. and for the past year, we had a big debate in this country. >> do they want to compromise? >> they absolutely want to compromise. and they recognize the president has done that. in the last year, the president had put what, a trillion dollars of cuts on the table. as you learned that doesn't make all democrats happy.

we spent four years getting the democrats together and having the president do all the tough work within our party to get that done. what is happens with the republican party, did they not see in the last election? and i think these extreme voices who were resoundingly rejected in the last election to just cool it a little bit and let moderate republicans come up and do what they've always done which is compromise. >> along with you, there was a group of mayors that attended that call in person at the white house and they spoke afterwards. here's what they said. take a listen. >> this is a time for an investment in cities. not a time to hurt those families in those cities. and congress needs to act immediately. >> voters on this country spoke loudly and clearly on the president's platform in november. he said exactly what he was going to do that. >> you're a longtime mayor of minneapolis, what kind of long-term impact do you see on the city-level if no deal is

reached here? >> we'll see a number of things. starting in my city, the headquarters of target and headquarters of best buy, we're going to see a huge challenge, big companies and on main street on our small businesses. the taxes on those small business owners will be raised. the taxes on those who spend money in those businesses will be raised. it will slow sales. it already has. an inaction by congress is already the grinch that's stealing christmas. what we need to do is recognize that on main streets across this country, big cities and small, the impact of inaction is happening. so while they're playing this sort of parlor game in washington about whose blame it is, everybody out here is suffering. solve the problem. and it's not a pox on both houses. let's get real here. the president has led. the president won an election by laying out a plan. the american people have spoken. the only thing that's stopping this are extreme voices of republicans in the house of representatives. let's not just say it's washington's fault. it's not. it's extreme right wing

republican voices only some in that party, dominating the house, that need to say knock it off and get something done. >> thank you for your time today. there's been an insurgent attack at the u.s. military base in kandahar this morning. it happened this morning. the pentagon saying insurgents detonated an i.e.d. near the airfield. three nato troops were wounded. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

darrell hasn't been able to visit his mom back east in a long time. [ mom ] things are sometimes a little tight. i wasn't able to go to the wedding. [ emily jo ] since darrell couldn't get home, we decided to bring home to him and then just gave him a little bit of help finding his way. ♪ [ laughs ] [ applause ] i love you. i love you. [ male announcer ] get together at the rekindle share event. buy one holiday drink, get one free this thursday through sunday. all right. to politics now where new jersey governor is talking about his weight and running for president with barbara walters. >> there are people who say that you couldn't be president because you're so heavy. what do you say to that? >> oh, that's ridiculous. that's ridiculous. i don't know what the basis is. >> i think they're worried about your health. >> well, i've done this job

pretty well. i think people watched me in the last weeks during hurricane sandy with 18-hour days and getting up the next day and being effective in the job. >> senator bob menendez said he had no idea an unpaid intern in his office was an illegal resident and a sex offend per. had was arrested last week. >> he's unpaid. it's not like he's a staff paid person. number two, there's no way we could know about status. we ask about status. number three, there's no way we could know about any allegation as a juvenile what his background would be in terms of in criminality. >> california governor jerry brown is being treated for cancer. the 74-year-old is getting radiation for early stage pros prostate cancer. his prognosis is excellent. scott walker will not end

same-day registration in his state because he says it's just too expensive. it would cost $5.2 million to end that practice. 11 other republican governors want to meet with president obama over the health care law. they want to talk about how to set up health exchanges on expanding the medicaid rolls. they've sent a letter to the white house asking for time with the president. and senator scott brown said good-bye to his colleagues in the senate, but he hinted you have not seen the last of him when he said defeat is only temporary. speaking of good-byes, senator joe lieberman made his farewell speech to his colleagues yesterday. and reflected how much has changed when he took office. he said when he started in the senate, a blackberry was a fruit and tweeting was am for the birds. and the senator had fun talking about his vice presidential run. >> thanks to vice president gore, i was given the opportunity to be the first

jewish american nominated for a major political party for national office. and incidentally, thanks to the american people, grateful to have received 500,000 more votes than my opponent on the other side. but that's a longer story. i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

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says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. on the heels of the michigan's right-to-work law. union leaders are focusing on upcoming gubernatorial elections. at the same time, looking at options on how to appeal the laws already in effect. the huffington post points out there's a slew of lawsuits, citizen's initiative, repealing legislation and line item veto. opponents' right-to-work laws are formulating a strategy of their own. if they got michigan perhaps this is where they'd move next.

the top five states with unionized workforces. joining me democratic strategy steven albendor. high taxpayer debt could be the next after michigan. which next state might be in the cross hairs? >> the most interesting thing to me, indiana started this trend. all businesses started locating towards indiana. i'm originally from illinois. operations like a right-to-work state like indiana and now michigan, that puts a lot of pressure on people right now mop where are the jobs? essentially this is about jobs. what michigan is trying to do is get more competitive. people are leaving michigan because they can't find jobs. going to places like indiana, this is the next initiative

here, where is the next place. >> steve, which states do you think could be targeted next? >> well, i think the republican party has a strategy here to try and weaken institutions that help working families and help the mill class. it's really sad. you know, the republican party isn't doing very well right now. what are they doing, going after labor unions. people forget, all the things we take for granted, whether 2 will be sick leave, available indication days, five-day work week, 40-hour week, it's all because of fights the labor unions did to help the middle class and help working families be competitive in this marketplace. >> do you see any states that might be at risk here? >> do i think what? >> do you see any states that are at risk next? >> oh, yeah, i think the republican party is going to spend a lot of time trying to do this because it's unfortunate because what the republican party ought to be doing is how to change the message to talk to middle class families. the nbc/"wall street journal" poll this morning said republic

people view republicans as being too rich. it should be how do they expand the pie and get more people in the party than how to exclude people. >> in other states, john, the backlash it could be wisconsin-like. are republicans ready for this possibility? >> well, i think what republicans are trying to do, they're trying to make their states more competitive. you see that in ohio where john kasay is the governor. trying to get a handle on the it. in wisconsin you see scott walker. i think scott walker understands that he had to make his state more competitive to attract more jobs you see it with snyder. >> might they face recall? might they face backlashes? >> i think what we saw with what happened with scott walker, people wanted to see if walker's policies could work, and they have worked. and that's why that recall operation with scott walker did not work. i don't think it's going to work with what's happened in michigan. i think snyder's going to get recalled. i think the american people want to see progress.

in their states especially they want to see job creation. what they don't want to see it money wasted on recall operations. that infuriates voters. >> as we look at what the unions might do to fight back. i've listed some of the tactics discussed so far. what's your thoughts, steve, what's the best tactic for unions if they want to fight back here? >> i think the best tactic is what we did, what happened in wisconsin ultimately. they communicated with their voters and elected barack obama and a democratic senator, this will backfire against the republican party in a lot of states because working families will rise up and participate in the process more and realize that the answer to this is to elect more democrats. >> steve and john, thank you for your time today. apple today is making a lot of iphone customers very happy. finally. google maps, they are back. so people can finally find where they're going, right.

cnbc mandi juri here with what's moving your money. today is a big day for iphone users. >> you're right, richard. google has announced that a new google maps app is available for the iphone. as you can imagine, the rush to get it was so intense by late yesterday it actually temporarily disappeared from the app store. remember back in september, apple ditched the google maps app and put its own on. there's a lot of criticisms about inaccuracies and lack of, i don't know, various things that you would normally expect. >> ending up in australia? >> ending up in australia or getting lost in national parks and stuff like that. so i guess there's people quite relieved right now. >> at least they can use that to find their way to the closest retailer. they're going to be open, 24, 25 hours a day, it seems like. >> it's unbelievable. i think they're going to get every single shopper through the door. you've got big-name companies like toys "r" us and macy's,

they're going to stay open around the clock. others like target and nordstroms, but other stores have started a marathon of holiday store hours remaining open 24/7 since december 2nd. and since black friday, most target stores have been opened from 11:00 to midnight on saturdays. those stores are trying to do what they can to get you in their stores. >> i'll tell you, there's no excuse as to why you didn't get your gift for your significant other now. >> no excuses, absolutely not. >> thank you. >> the golden globe nominations are out. are they a hint of what's to come for the oscars? these are the nominees for best dramatic fill iran hostage fill,

argo, lincoln with daniel day-lewis. django unchained. "and zero dark thirty." the search for osama bin laden. you can head to our website and watch the awards show live january 13th. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth!

tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8. ♪ it pays to be happy. according to a new study, people have have a happy childhood are more likely to be wealthy in adulthood compared to those who were unhappy as children. researchers say the study helps show the value of having a happy childhood. all right. straight to capitol hill. house minority leader nancy pelosi speaking. let's take a listen. >> -- ceo of walmart for one,

that the season is not as what was hoped for in terms of consumer confidence and consumer purchasing. coming down to the wire,s, you know, a matter of days. last week, we went out on wednesday morning. this week, we'll probably go out on thursday morning. having come in on tuesday. two, two-day work weeks in a row. this is just not right. how does this make sense when time is of the essence, while the clock is ticking. and again, we're coming down to the wire. just to be clear, democrats have said, we've already agreed, in the budget control act and in the other legislation passed by this congress to $1.6 trillion in spending cuts. we already have agreed in the affordable care act and in the president's budget to over $1

trillion in savings in medicare. to be plowed back to strengthen medicare and to increase benefits. but to strengthen it. and it just remains for republicans to agree to pass the middle income tax cut. which gives a tax cut, by the way, to 100% of the american people. for people making over $250,000 a year, they get a tax cut. up to $250,000 a year. and are asked to pay a little more beyond that. >> nancy pelosi there speaking. earlier she had said an agreement is needed some the next few day. she said it would be stupid to take the country over the fiscal cliff. we'll continue to watch that there in capitol hill. you know, right now, high school seniors everywhere are digitally sending the last of the college applications. it's a stressful time. many will be thinking whether they checked the right box when asked about ethnicity. the latest numbers show 16% of

the population identifies as being hispanic. 13%, black. 5%, asian. but look at biracial, almost 3% identify as mixed race and that number is multiplying past. now about 20% of biracial americans say they are black and white. over 19% say they're white or other. and asian and white, 18%. that's the cross-section of biracial america. for birational americans those check boxes. host of tv1's "save my son" steve perry, 100% of graduates to four-year colleges. steve, good to see you. >> thank you, nice to see you as well. >> let's start with this, i was reading an article in "the national journal." it talked about one student. i want to share this with you. it mentions a person that was asking which box should i check.

he is french and chinese but he decided to check the caucasian box on his ivy league application to. this is what he did, he reported being asian. are a lot of kids gaming the system, i guess learning early on that they have to leverage their ethnicity to get the best outcome? >> well, race as a combination has split between generations. those 40 and over, race seems to be a static concept. those younger seem they have a better understanding of what race can mean functionally. i'll give you an example. at our school, we are a magnate school. there are times when families will say it's right. i have families say my kid is going to be white to get into capital prep and black to get into college. it's a conversation that we have all over the country. now we have a president who is black and whose mother is white like me.

i consider myself african-american but have a white parent. we have a history that we're recommitting to our race. which what once was so static has now become functional and fluid. >> what point, i guess the question is, do you check one of those boxes when you're a quarter american, a half? for students they're asking these questions and so are the institutions, too. >> well, i think what happens when it serves you, you decide which one it's going to be. for me, i'm always black, i don't know any other way to be. but i do understand if i were growing up in a time when i needed to get access to a quality education, the only way i could get it was to say i was some race or a different version thereof, then my mom would have done the same thing. we have bigger problems. the children's access to education. if it means to forfeit the race, it just shows how important education is to many, many families.

>> and then the african-american groups, if they check the box, if might mean itmy be more difficult, let's just say. some of the examples for many of these would-be students, these students applying to go to schools right now, whether it works for them or against them? >> right, especially at the top-performing schools. asians are no longer the minority. in fact, in some schools they're in fact the majority of students on campus. we see how race becomes a broader conversation. it's not just what race means in a broader context but what does it mean to you. we're now at a point where we're asking people to define themselves. the way you looked is what you were. you may look this way but you want to honor this part of your heritage. you people like vin diesel who called him a harmony baby.

or tiger woods who calls himself caucasian. >> criticism of affirmative action and the concept is as old as it is itself, what sort of the happy middle ground? we talk about it in all or nothing coninstructs. so what's down the middle that might work here? >> the problem that we have here, sadly, still african-american and latino children are still in the low-est performing schools as it relates to conversation around education. until such time that race is no longer an issue or even an incidence where there isn't a higher incidence of african-american or latinos in the lowest-performing schooling in what it is to be black and of color. >> steve perry, host of "save my son. ". today's tweet is about one of the concerts to benefit victims of sander last night. >> she writes up till 4:00 a.m.

watching 121212 concert. so inspiring. i wasn't able to go to the wedding. [ emily jo ] since darrell couldn't get home, we decided to bring home to him and then just gave him a little bit of help finding his way. ♪ [ laughs ] [ applause ] i love you. i love you. [ male announcer ] get together at the rekindle share event. buy one holiday drink, get one free this thursday through sunday. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen.

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♪ you've heard us talk about the political hits and misses in the 2012 election. but there's one little item here. still to be picked apart. fashion. oh, yes, there were style highs and lows this season we failed to mention at all. so let's get to it right now, "washington post" opinion writer and msnbc contributor jonathan capeheart joins us live. this is going to be fun. how are you doing? >> it's fun to do this. >> great article. great right. let's start with rick are santorum's signature look. the sweater vest. >> yes, he brought the sweater vest out from obscurity. remember he this austerity and he brings the sweater vest and it applies to sleeves. >> ann romney who drew reaction when she showed up to cbs "this morning" set with an eye

catching t-shirt. that t-shirt, the price tag, wow? >> this is a reed crackoff t-shirt. $900 it retails for. it was edgy for a wannabe first lady. i thought it looked terrific. >> she as had highs here. she and michelle obama, they both made splashes at their husband's respective conventions. >> right at the republican national convention and the democratic national convention in charlotte, both brought their a-game. ann romney wearing an oscar de la renta dress. and the first lady wearing tracey rece. >> and i want to bring up president obama speaking in the afternoon in the rose garden. you got issue with the choice of color, what he's wearing there? >> yeah, president obama's brown

suit. i first saw it on the set of melissa harris perry's show back in may. we were all watching and all said, what's he wearing. the president nine times out of ten knocks it out of the park with his choice of navy blue or gray, but this sort of, i want to be cool on the weekends, light suit for the summer thing, not working for him. >> all right. let me show you a picture of sarah palin campaigning for the senate. you got the superman t-shirt. love it or hating it there? >> i'm not loving it. what was it laundry day? the superman t-shirt. the capri pants fine. what's up with the stilts. they're very tall. >> we won't be the first to talk about this, jonathan. governor chris christie, and the infamous fleece. "saturday night live" made fun of him and he made fun of it itself on it. >> chris christie's fleece, it

says chris christie governor, if we don't know who he is. he wore that every day in the aftermath of sandy and it got to the point you wondered if it was tattooed on or what. >> hillary clinton the sunglasses, the very intense look. you remember the picture brought up earlier. the mean story is what we're talking about here. >> right, texts from hillary. it went viral, literally. as i wrote in the little blush on this very chic photo of secretary of state hillary clinton nothing says power like sunglasses, a blackberry and a c-17 plane all for your very own. >> and your very winner very quickly. the big winner? >> personally, not for the year, bought paula broadwell and the outfit she wore on jon stewart, very, very fantastic. the bare shoulders. the pants. she even did push-ups in this outfit. so if hollywood's looking for a

bond villain or a bond vixen, she'd be perfect. >> jonathan capehart for "the washington post," thank you my friend. >> that wraps up this hour. thomas roberts is up next. thomas, a lot of fashion to talk about there. any favorites for you? >> i will tell you on the commercial. i don't want to go on the record, richard. we call it the fiscal cliff, but if you look deeper, it really are should be called the trench of mistrust. the negotiations continue. neither side trusting each other enough. congressman james clyburn and steny hoyer will join me. huge outrage after defending her hair on facebook. we'll join melissa harris. and marriage quality, why now? and bringing healing in high-heel. why one college is going to run across the brooklyn bridge in freezing temps and he's doing it

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